Is Hyperconverged Infrastructure Right for Your Business?

Many people are wary of change because sticking to what you know is less risky. The same goes for numerous companies that collect huge amounts of data. Such companies meet radical changes without much enthusiasm since the old seems to be better than the unknown new. 

One of the radical changes that engineers are pushing for is the improvement of data centers using hyperconvergence technology. Many companies are already turning the heat of creating a hyper converged data center, while others are wary of this, due to a lack of understanding of all the benefits of this technology. Instead, they are willing to sacrifice increased performance while remaining committed to traditional architecture. 

To put things right and understand that HCI data centers are the new future, you need to look at the differences between the two architectures, as well as understand the benefits of implementing a hyper converged infrastructure.

Is Hyperconverged Infrastructure Right for Your Business? | Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) vs. traditional infrastructure

📝 Hyperconverged Infrastructure (HCI) vs. traditional infrastructure

Elements 

HCI is suggesting combining all components into a single entity that can be managed in a consolidated manner. 

The system combines the following elements: 

  • Computing resources; 
  • Storage; 
  • Networks. 

With a private network, local storage is shared between all nodes. They are formed into an accessible group without using shared storage. 

In a traditional infrastructure, all these components work separately from each other. But at the same time, they form the same group. 

Expenses 

In terms of costs, the hyperconverged model is the simplest and the most cost-effective solution. The most important thing in this model is the software, which is easy to install. Using the program, all types of expenses are significantly reduced. Despite this, the level of efficiency and accessibility increases. 

Due to the fragmentation of the components of the traditional model, all types of costs increase. Each component must be purchased separately, with many companies purchasing equipment from different vendors. Thus, first of all, capital expenditures increase, and operational ones, respectively. 

Efficiency 

The technique of relocating computation to the node where data is stored, rather than vice versa, helps to reduce network congestion and boost computation throughput in both HCI and SAN systems, which is incredible. In such an infrastructure, there is practically no delay in receiving data, since the nodes receive data locally. 

For many companies, this factor is especially important. That is why such an infrastructure should be adopted by many organizations, regardless of the field of activity. It is expected that such a solution will continue to drive the market growth.

To date, this is the best solution possible. However, no one knows how relevant it will remain in the future. Similarly, it cannot be said that this infrastructure is flawless. It has both pros and cons that companies need to be aware of before changing the way their data centers operate.  

👍 HCI pros

Consolidated management and monitoring 

First of all, it is worth noting that such an infrastructure provides ideal tools with which to manage, as well as control the execution of all processes and tasks, using a single console, is quite easy. When problems arise, or when components need to be serviced, improved, or resources allocated, it can all be done in one place. Everything is controlled by software. Thus, companies no longer have to search for qualified IT specialists with different skill sets, since only one generalist can do all the work. In addition, you can forget about the problems of equipment incompatibility. 

All you have to do is find one single service provider who will support both hardware and software. Using the traditional model, you are interacting with multiple vendors and you need to find a consensus between the responses of different engineers to solve a problem. With a modern approach, you can forget about it. Engineers from the supplier’s company are responsible for updating both components, so there will be no more disagreements. 

Cost reduction 

You don’t need to buy many components to make this architecture work. All components can be controlled using one program. In this regard, the cost reduction is obvious. 

Furthermore, you can reduce the space occupied by servers. This results in cost savings in your data center. Data centers need less electricity and the cooling area is also reduced. The number of switches and power connections is reduced. 

Component upgrades and maintenance are done in such a way that every company can reduce downtime. In this regard, work processes are not disrupted or slowed down, since all applications are stored on the network. 

Cloud integration 

Another important component of a hyper-converged architecture is full integration with the cloud. Any workload can be migrated to this environment with just one click. This can also be done the other way round. In this way, you can scale processes as well as increase flexibility. 

👎 HCI cons

Purchasing new compute nodes 

Although the nodes are intended for both computing and storage, if you need to scale the volumes, then you need to buy some additional boxes. Integration to the system is easy and fast, but it is worth noting that their cost can be expensive. In this regard, buying discs for the traditional model is a less expensive solution. 

Attachment to one supplier 

The fact that you can only work with one supplier is both an advantage and a disadvantage. If you decide to implement such an innovative solution, then you should consider all the offers of these service providers to choose the most ideal option. If something does not suit you in the process, for example, a more attractive price from another supplier or more functionality, then it will be quite difficult to switch to another platform. 

Conclusion 

It cannot be said unequivocally that for every company HCI will be the ideal solution to all problems. It all depends on many factors. In most cases, this architecture provides many benefits: ease of use, cost reduction, unified management, and monitoring of all processes. However, for some companies, the shortcomings of such an infrastructure can be decisive. 

Every company needs a different approach. That is why you need to first consider all the pros and cons, as well as all the features of your business. It cannot be said that this innovative solution will completely replace the traditional model since its advantages are still relevant. In some cases, it is possible to use two models at once.

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